Almost everyone uses onions for marinating shish kebab. But few people asked the question: why is he here? After all, it will fall off the skewer anyway, and whatever stuck to the meat will burn. Meanwhile, the main thing we want from onions is that their juice has a beneficial effect on the structure of the meat, simultaneously ennobling and enriching its taste. But tell me, if you transfer the meat with whole onions, will it change at least somehow? No! And if the onion is simply somehow cut into thick slices, its effect will be insignificant.
Therefore, it will work much better if you sprinkle the chopped onion with coarse salt and spices, and crush it properly with your hands so that it releases the juice. And only here is the time to add meat.
But it’s even better to grind the onion through a meat grinder and then squeeze the juice out of it in any convenient way. Remember these photos every time you decide to grind onions for minced meat in a meat grinder. If getting a mixture of onion pulp and onion juice is your goal, then go for it!
If you become the happy owner of a good beef tenderloin, cut it into three-centimeter cubes, salt, sprinkle with black pepper, and leave it aside for a couple of hours. If the tenderloin is not pre-seasoned, you can pour highly carbonated mineral water over the meat, but only a little.
By the way, in case anyone doesn’t know: the notch I mean grows on the inside of the lower back. If a whole carcass is cut into two parts across where the ribs end, then a good piece of the back will remain along with the hind thighs. It is usually also cut in half, but lengthwise. And on each half on the inside of the spine there are nice long pieces of meat. Butchers chop off the processes of the vertebrae and remove this very cutting.
Tenderloin is ideal for kebabs and steaks. In order for it to become softer, it is kept at a low but positive temperature for several weeks. During this time, natural processes occur in the meat, as a result of which the bonds between meat fibers are weakened and the meat becomes softer and without any marinades.
If the tenderloin is quite lean, then cut the lard into squares two and a half by two and a half centimeters, a centimeter thick - no more is needed. Salt the lard too, but do not pepper it.
If the tenderloin is fatty, from the so-called marbled beef, then no lard is required.
Pour the onion juice over the tenderloin half an hour before cooking. Believe me, this time is enough to give the meat a special taste and soften it as much as possible. You can keep the meat in onion juice longer, but there will be no benefit from it.
Place the meat and lard on short metal skewers in this order: two pieces of meat, a piece of lard across, another piece of meat, another piece of lard, and finally, for balance, two more pieces of meat. If you designate meat with the letter “O”, and lard with the letter “X”, then the skewer should look like “OOOHOHOO”. If you do everything right, this is exactly how the eaters will react to your kebab: “Ooh-oh-hoo!”
When threading, do not push the meat onto the skewer too tightly or tightly. And after all the pieces are in place, it’s better to even level them with your hand, distribute them evenly and admire the resulting beauty.
The coals should be medium in size and not too hot. The distance between the meat and them is four to five centimeters. Fry for six minutes on one side without turning, then another six minutes on the other. Then, in one or two minutes, heat the first side, which has had time to cool, and in another couple of minutes, heat the second side. If the fire is “correct,” then this time is enough for the kebab to cook through, but not dry out or burn. Serve directly on the skewers, next to thinly sliced white onions sprinkled with sumac or plenty of herbs.
A row of meat is fifteen to twenty centimeters long, this is the optimal size to eat directly from the skewer. In this case, the kebab will not have time to cool down while it is being eaten. But if there is a desire to take long skewers (for reasons of saving time or in order to capture the imagination of the guests), then no one is forbidden to string the pieces in the order “OOOOOOOOOOOO”. This kebab can also be served directly on skewers, and then removed to a plate. It would be better to serve onions and herbs on a separate plate.
If the meat is good, marbled, seasoned, if everything is done correctly, then the kebab will melt even if it’s not in your mouth. You just pick up a piece with a fork, and it will already begin to fall apart under its own weight.
Friends, do you know that you can make excellent, soft, juicy and completely non-greasy kebab from pork? To do this you just need to take pork tenderloin. Those. lazy muscle from the back of the animal. For some reason, this type of kebab is not very popular, I think this is a big omission. I will use my own marinade based on mineral water, but any marinade will do.
Ingredients
- Pork tenderloin 1 kg.
- Onions 1 kg.
- Tomatoes 300 gr.
- Mineral water 250 ml.
- Ground pepper 0.5 tsp.
- Ground coriander 0.5 tsp
- Chopped greens 30-40 gr.
- Salt to taste
Recipe
Pork tenderloin:
This is what the cut we are interested in looks like. If there is some fat on it, it is better to leave it. There will always be lovers of fried lard; you can offer them the appropriate portion.
Meat cutting:
Cut the meat across the grain into pieces the size of a matchbox.
Onion slicing:
Peel the onion and cut into half rings.
Slicing tomatoes:
Chop the tomatoes, not very finely. If you want to fry tomatoes along with meat, form pieces that can be placed on a skewer.
Mixing the marinade:
Place the chopped vegetables together. Add spices, salt.
Ready marinade:
Crush and mix the vegetables well. They should give juice. Season the marinade with mineral water. Taste it, it should be slightly salty. Yes, I was not mistaken. Salt the kebab right away.
Seasoning meat with marinade:
Add marinade to meat. Mix well. Place in the refrigerator to marinate. The total marinating time is from 12 to 48 hours. It is advisable to thoroughly stir the meat every 4 hours. Of course, you can fry pork tenderloin raw, it will turn out soft. However, it is better to let the meat brew.
This is what marinated barbecue meat looks like.
Preparation for frying pork tenderloin shish kebab:
Place the meat on skewers. You can alternate it with tomatoes and onions. I use vegetables from the marinade. If you want to purposefully bake vegetables, it is better to prepare fresh onions and tomatoes. As I like, I use disposable wooden skewers.
Burn the coals until you turn gray. This will ensure even heat without burning.
Grilling shish kebab from pork tenderloin:
Place the skewers close to each other on the grill.
Gradually turning, fry the meat on all sides for about a minute - one and a half.
Bring the kebab to readiness. The total frying time, depending on the strength of the fire, is 15-20 minutes. If the heat is very hot, it can be reduced to about 12 minutes.
Pork shish kebab is best prepared for lunch. So that by the evening it has time to be completely absorbed and not be deposited anywhere.
FAQ:
“What is the best marinade to use for pork tenderloin skewers?”
-One of the simplest options is mineral water, as in the recipe above. However, the meat is very tender, you can just make do with onion juice. And don’t add anything other than onions. See other kebab recipes on my website, they have very tasty marinades.
The May holidays are coming soon. And everyone, young and old, will be drawn to their summer cottages. It will probably be difficult for even the most experienced accountant to calculate how much meat will be eaten during these days. And of course, it’s not difficult to guess that the bulk of it will be fried on the grill, in the form of everyone’s favorite kebabs and.
Prepared from lamb, beef. But the most popular and beloved by all, of course, is the one made from pork. One of the delicious recipes you can find. It pickles quickly, fries quickly, it’s tasty and juicy. It is precisely for its taste and ease of preparation that it is loved by millions of people.
Cooking barbecue is not just a culinary process, it is a kind of action! Just the preparation for the process puts you in a certain mood. You need to buy everything you need, then decide which marinade you will use. Then fry! Everywhere you need certain skills and abilities.
So how to cook a tasty, juicy, aromatic pork dish? It’s no secret that some people turn out the finished dish juicy, while others turn it dry; For some, it always turns out overcooked and tough, while for others, it’s not at all cooked inside.
In order for fried meat to be tasty, juicy and well-done, you need to select the right part of the right quality, keep it in a properly prepared composition, and fry it correctly on the grill.
Let's first look at the different options.
Properly marinating the pulp is an important step in preparing a delicious dish. The method you choose to do this primarily determines the taste of the finished product. Therefore, this stage is one of the most important. Even if you buy an excellent piece of pulp, if you process it incorrectly, it may not turn out to have the taste that you expect from it.
There are a lot of cooking options. And by preparing them correctly, you can make the finished product juicy from almost any one. The main thing is to observe proportions and time.
Sometimes in recipes it is found that vinegar is added to the ingredients. I'm not adding it. I think that when it is added, the taste of the main product is lost. It turns out tough and not juicy.
Maybe I’m wrong, or maybe I just don’t know how to prepare options using vinegar, but I never use it. What for? Then, when there are a large number of natural products, thanks to which the meat turns out very juicy and certainly tasty.
In addition, the pork itself is quite tender, not tough at all, and the vinegar is mainly used to soften it. And in this case there is absolutely no need to use it.
But let's look at other methods. In fact, there are many more of them; here are the most popular and in demand.
On kefir
Kefir also contains acid, and if you need to quickly make the pulp soft, then kefir will come in handy.
Just know that you don’t need to keep it in kefir for too long. Otherwise, the result will be the same as if we keep meat in vinegar - it will lose its taste and juiciness.
Keep in kefir for no more than 3.5-4 hours. This will be quite enough to obtain a delicate taste.
We will need:
- pork neck – 2 kg
- onion - 1 kg
- kefir -05-0.7 ml.
- salt, ground black pepper to taste
- ginger - 1 tablespoon
- spices - I use mixes that include chopped coriander, cumin, paprika, nutmeg
- dried herbs
- ground red pepper
Preparation:
- Cut the neck into pieces 5x5 cm. It is better not to cut smaller pieces, because in this case the pork will turn out dry. There is no need to cut any more, there is a risk that it will not have time to fry inside. Place everything in a large bowl.
- Cut the onion into very thin half rings. Mash it so that the onion releases its juice and add to the bowl.
- Stir everything together, pressing lightly on the onion so that the juice is absorbed into the pulp.
- Add spices, herbs, pepper, kefir. Mix everything again, lightly pressing on the contents so that the marinade quickly saturates each piece.
- Leave to infuse in a cool place. It is not advisable to put it in the refrigerator. You can stir occasionally.
It is better to salt the prepared pieces 30-40 minutes before you start grilling the kebab. It is not recommended to salt before. Salt draws the juice out of the pulp. And if you salt it earlier, the pulp will never turn out juicy.
This is one of the main secrets of preparing a juicy product. Don’t ignore it, and then it will always turn out juicy.
With soy sauce and lemon juice
This composition also has an acidic base, only now lemon is used for this. And soy sauce will give the finished dish a piquant taste and a beautiful golden brown finish.
We will need:
- pork neck – 3 kg
- onion - 5-6 large onions
- lemon - 1 pc.
- spices for pork
- salt - 1 tbsp. spoon
- pepper - red and black
- soy sauce - 2 tbsp. spoons
Preparation:
- Cut the meat into 5x5 cm pieces. Transfer to a bowl.
- Mix everything together, lightly pressing on the onion so that it releases the juice.
- Squeeze juice from lemon, add spices and pepper. Mix everything again, lightly pressing on the contents to quickly saturate each piece.
- Keep in a cool place for 3.5-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Add salt 30 minutes before frying.
Delicious kebab using olive oil
If you purchased a leaner part for shish kebab, such as tenderloin, then to prevent the flesh from becoming dry, you can use a marinade with olive oil.
We will need:
- pork tenderloin - 1.5 kg
- lemon - 1 pc.
- olive oil - 4 tbsp. spoons
- paprika -1 teaspoon
- ground coriander - 1 teaspoon
- a pinch each - ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg
- pepper - red and black
- Bay leaf
Preparation:
- Grind and mix all the spices, add pepper and chopped bay leaf. Pour olive oil over the mixture, stir, leave for 20 minutes to allow the spices to combine with the oil and the flavors to combine.
- During this time, cut the tenderloin into medium pieces and then place in a bowl with the prepared mixture. Mix. Close with a lid or cover with cling film.
- Leave for 1-1.5 hours at room temperature, periodically stirring the pieces with spices and oil so that they are evenly saturated with juice.
- Add salt 30-40 minutes before frying.
- Cut the lemon into rings. Thread the pieces onto skewers, alternating with lemon rings, and fry on the grill until done.
With mayonnaise - the most popular
This method is perhaps one of the most popular among people. Well, we love mayonnaise... It is also better to use it when preparing kebab from leaner pieces, if it is appropriate to talk about pork.
We will need:
- pork - 2 kg
- onion - 1 kg
- mayonnaise -350-400g
- spices for barbecue
- mustard - 3 tablespoons
- salt, pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Cut the meat into pieces 5x5 cm. Place in a bowl.
- Cut the onion into thin half rings. Mash it so that the onion releases its juice and add to the bowl.
- Stir the contents, pressing lightly on the onion to form juice.
- Add spices, pepper, mayonnaise. Mix everything.
- Leave to infuse for 6-7 hours, or preferably overnight. It is better to keep the chopped pieces in mayonnaise in the refrigerator.
- It is better to add salt 30-40 minutes before cooking. It is also not recommended to keep the pieces in salt for a long time.
In tomato juice and with tomatoes
The pulp turns out to be very tasty and juicy if you use tomatoes for the marinade. To ensure that all the juice collected from the tomatoes is preserved and does not leak out during frying, add a little vegetable oil.
We will need:
- pork tenderloin – 2 kg
- onion -1.2 kg
- tomatoes -1.3 kg
- fresh ginger – 30 g
- vegetable oil -4 tbsp. spoons
- spices - 1 tbsp. spoon
- pepper - 1 teaspoon
- salt - 1 tbsp. spoon
Preparation:
- Cut the meat into large pieces.
- Cut the onion into thin half rings.
- Grind 800 grams of tomatoes in a blender bowl with ginger. If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can add it in powder.
- Cut 500 grams of tomatoes into slices.
- Mix all ingredients with onion, tomato juice and spices. Mash the contents so that the juice is better absorbed into the pulp.
- Add chopped tomatoes. Stir gently until the tomatoes remain whole.
- Leave for 4-5 hours.
- 30-40 minutes before, add salt and oil. Mix.
- Thread onto skewers and fry until done.
On mineral water
Also a very popular option among the people. This is also a long way. You will need to soak the pieces of pulp in water and onion juice all night.
The advantage of this method is that the water has a neutral taste. And the taste of the product is revealed most fully in this case. And the second plus is that the pulp is softened with the help of mineral water, and becomes very soft, juicy and aromatic. And its fibers, under the influence of mineral water, become more elastic and are better saturated with spices. And the finished product becomes more aromatic and remains tender at the same time.
We will need:
- pork - 3 kg
- onion -1 -1.5 kg
- highly carbonated mineral water - 1 liter
- spices
- salt pepper
- vegetable oil
Preparation:
- Cut the pulp into pieces 5x5 cm.
- Cut the onion into thin half rings. Mash it so that the onion releases juice and add to the pulp.
- Stir everything together, pressing lightly on the onion to release the juice.
- Add mineral water. It is better to choose water with potassium and sodium salts.
- Add spices and pepper. There is no need to salt immediately, as this may make the meat tough; it is better to salt it 1-2 hours before frying.
- Leave the pieces in a mixture of water and onion juice for 12-15 hours, putting it in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
- Before cooking, drain the water, remove the onion and add a little vegetable oil. In this case, when frying, the pieces will not burn.
Here are just a few ways in which the finished dish will turn out tasty and juicy. However, there are also options for aging the pulp in red and white wine (for lovers), in pomegranate and tomato juice. There are also recipes based on sour cream, and with the addition of balsamic vinegar. However, like regular vinegar. And lovers of beer and specific tastes soak the pulp in beer.
When the chopped pieces are mixed with all the ingredients, it must be tightly closed and placed under pressure, pressing down with something heavy.
If you use quick methods, in 3-4 hours, then it is better to keep them in a cool place. And if you need more time, it is better to keep it in the refrigerator.
But that’s not all, for the kebab to turn out great, it should also be fried correctly.
How to properly grill shish kebab
1. Before frying the chopped pieces, they need to be properly threaded on skewers. They should not be strung too tightly. There should be a little space between them for better roasting on all sides.
2. You need to string them evenly so that they are evenly on the skewer, and so that nothing hangs down in separate pieces.
3. If onions were used for the marinade, then they must be carefully removed from each piece. If this is not done, then burnt onions will give the dish a bitter taste and deprive it of the desired aroma.
4. If no oils were used, then before frying you can coat each cut piece with vegetable oil. This is necessary so that the flesh is well fried on the inside and not burnt on the outside.
5. Coal can be bought ready-made in the store, although there are many who are against this. And opponents, as a rule, make coals themselves. They take firewood from deciduous trees - birch, aspen, apple..., burn it, and when coals appear, they fry on them. Just don’t fry the pulp using coniferous wood, this can ruin its natural smell and taste.
6. While frying on the grill, you must constantly turn the skewers so that the pieces are fried evenly. You should make sure that the coals smolder well. If the heat is weak, the pulp will dry out, and if flames constantly burst out, it will begin to burn. To do this, keep a bottle of water ready. And as soon as the flame breaks out, it should be immediately extinguished with water from a bottle.
7. During the entire frying process, you must be near the grill to monitor the entire process.
8. When the kebab is browned, you can check its readiness by making a cut on the piece that is the lightest. If no blood flows out of it, and the inside is a pleasant pink color, then the dish is ready.
9. Remove from the skewers to a large platter and cover with a lid to rest for 5 minutes. Rested, it will be even juicier and tastier.
10. You can serve the finished dish with grilled vegetables, fresh vegetables, herbs and onions soaked in vinegar.
The next topic would essentially need to be put first. But since the article is about marinades, they went first. Therefore, although belatedly, let us dwell on this important topic in more detail.
How to choose pork for barbecue
The kind of kebab you get depends on what kind of meat you choose for cooking. You can make an excellent marinade and fry the pulp well. But if it is bought incorrectly, it will be difficult to prepare the perfect dish.
And it is best to use the neck or loin.
1. It is best that it is fresh. This makes the finished product the most delicious. As a last resort, you can use frozen, but only under one condition. If you bought it fresh, you froze it yourself, and defrosted it only once. They defrosted it just for this occasion, that is, for preparing the dish.
2. It must be defrosted at room temperature, in a natural way. No use of hot water or microwave.
3. Also, you should not buy a ready-made product in a store. After all, we don’t know what’s cut there. This means the result may be unpredictable.
4. Pay attention to the appearance when you buy it. It should be pale pink in color, with thin streaks of fat. If it is red, it may be old and best discarded. The finished dish from it will be tough, no matter how much it is pre-cooked and fried.
5. There is no need to take pieces that are too fatty. During frying, excess fat will drip onto the coals, burn on them, and this will give the finished dish an unnecessary smell.
6. A fresh product should not have any foreign odors, only a fresh, almost neutral odor.
7. When pressing on it, blood should not come out. And the pressure mark should disappear almost immediately. If the mark remains for a long time, then the pulp was thawed and frozen again.
8. When examining externally, look at the consistency; it should not be matte, but glossy. It should also not stick to your hands.
Now, when going to the store, always choose the right piece. And then any dish will turn out delicious.
Pork shish kebab in its own juices without marinade
Despite the fact that I know various methods of marinade, I am constantly looking for new recipes. And I found this original way.
This recipe differs from all those proposed above not only by this, but also by the fact that when choosing the main product, it is not the neck part that is taken, but the carbonate, and it is cut not into the usual pieces, but into thin plates in the form of steaks.
This is such an interesting and original recipe! How do you like it? Did you like it or not?
And in general, it’s very interesting, what methods do you usually use? Maybe you have your own original ways. It would be great if you share them with us!
In today’s article, I tried to talk in great detail about all the nuances of preparing delicious, tender kebab. You should pay attention to all stages of preparation. They are all equally important and significant. To make a delicious dish, you don’t have to ignore any of them. And only then will it turn out tender, juicy and very tasty.
Bon appetit!
Barbecue is always a holiday and a good mood. Pleasant company and, of course, delicious pork kebab. The main thing in barbecue is well-chosen meat and tasty marinade. You can easily choose meat on store shelves and markets.
I recommend that you choose pork, and definitely tenderloin. Tenderloin kebab turns out to be especially tender, soft, and once you try this kebab, you will cook exactly the same one again and again. Because this taste is simply impossible to forget.
The pieces of meat should not be large. So that you don't end up with charcoal on the outside and raw meat on the inside. Pieces of kebab should be conveniently strung on a skewer, and the meat should be evenly fried. Of course, a lot depends on the fact that the kebab is turned over in a timely manner and that there is good heat from the coals. And now I suggest you marinate and cook pork kebab according to our favorite family recipe.
Ingredients for pork skewers:
Meat (pork tenderloin) – 2 kg Onions – 8-10 pcs. Mayonnaise – 200 g Ground spices: paprika, coriander, basil, garlic, black pepper, marjoram, nutmeg, ginger - I usually have a spice mixture of 2-3 tbsp. Salt – 2 tbsp. Cooking time: 1 hourPork shish kebab recipe:
1. Rinse the kebab meat and cut it on a cutting board into medium pieces of approximately the same size.
Tip #1: It will be convenient to immediately put the meat in a pan in which it will marinate and actually go with you into nature.
2. Wash the onion, peel it and cut it into rings of approximately the same size.
Tip #2: It is best to choose an onion that is not perfectly round, but oblong and not large. Then you get neat onion rings that do not fall off the skewers when frying the kebab.
3. In a saucepan, combine the barbecue meat and onion rings. Add salt and all your favorite spices. Sprinkle the kebab generously with spices and mix with your hands.
4. Add mayonnaise to the meat. Mix the barbecue marinade thoroughly with your hands. Cover the pan with a lid and put it in the refrigerator to marinate.
Tip #3: If time allows, you can marinate meat for barbecue for 10-12 hours. But I’ll be honest, 30 minutes will be enough for the meat marinated according to this recipe.
5. Light a fire in the grill and let the wood burn out so that only smoldering coals remain. Meanwhile, string the pork kebab onto skewers along with the onions, alternating pieces of onion and meat. And fry, turning the skewers so that the meat is evenly fried on all sides.
6. You can check the readiness of the kebabs by making a cut in the meat with a knife. If the meat inside is fried, then there should be no particles of blood in the cut and the meat itself inside should not be pink.
7. It is best to serve shashlik with fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs. The best side dish is mashed potatoes. You can also put sauce or ketchup on the table. And of course, a jar of pickled cucumbers or tomatoes from the last harvest.
Pork shish kebab is ready! Bon appetit!
I recommend other proven recipes:My brother and I developed it after we tried dozens of different recipes using vinegar, wine, kefir, kiwi, etc. And now I can say with confidence that this is the best marinade for pork kebab. It is also equally important to fry the meat correctly on the grill. I’ll tell you about this today.
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork (tenderloin or neck)
- 2 onions (preferably white)
- 2 fresh tomatoes
- 2 sprigs basil
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- Mixture of ground peppers (minimum black and red)
Marinate the meat
At this stage it should look like the photo below:
- 3 hours before frying, cut the onion into slices. Salt it and mash it with your hands to release juice.
- Mix the onion with the meat (remove the rosemary for this, then cover again). And put it in the refrigerator again.
- 30 minutes before frying, take out the meat and place it in a room at room temperature. It can also be done in the sun.
Grilling shish kebab correctly
You may ask, where is the marinade? Some kind of vinegar or kefir? Do not need anything! Just onions and spices and nothing extra! The pork itself is soft, the onion copes well with it on its own. The kebab turns out soft and juicy.
Now some tips:
- As I already said, meat cannot be put on the grill straight from the refrigerator. It should warm up to room temperature. Otherwise, the kebab will fry unevenly. The outside will burn, but the inside will remain raw.
- I don’t recommend putting onions in pork earlier than 3 hours beforehand - it will acquire an excessive onion smell.
- You can add onions later. Two hours or even an hour before frying, but then its quantity must be increased.
- It is not necessary to add tomatoes.
That's the whole recipe. Believe me, we have been preparing barbecue this way for several years now, and it really turns out very tasty. This is confirmed by our neighbors and friends!
Try it too. I'm sure you won't regret it!
Have a nice picnic. If you have any recipes of your own, please leave them in the comments. Let's discuss)
Pavel Dorofeev was with you, as always.
